Toward Flexible Zinc-Air Batteries with Self-Supported Air Electrodes

Abstract

The compelling demand for higher energy performance, flexibility, and miniaturization is the main driving force of the energy storage and conversion industry's quest for flexible devices based on new integration and fabrication process. Herein, the recent advances on the development of flexible zinc-air batteries based on self-supported air electrodes are summarized, focusing on the multiscale and systematic design principles for the design of flexible air electrodes. With the electrocatalytic activity regulation and structural engineering strategies, the rational design of self-supported air electrodes is discussed in integrated devices to underpin the good flexibility for wearable requirement. The perspectives on promising developments of flexible zinc-air batteries and the accumulated knowledge from other flexible devices are also addressed for promoting the advances on flexible zinc-air batteries.

Keywords: air electrode; electrocatalysis; flexible zinc-air batteries; self-supporting.